1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to hand trucks and carts, and more particularly to a utility hand cart which will pivot as a whole about the wheel axle when the handle is raised and when the front of the lower frame contacts the floor, the handle will pivot relative to the lower frame.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Lifting and transporting bulky heavy objects, such as automobile transmissions, air conditioner compressors, etc., usually requires two or more people. Often, a conventional dolly or wheeled floor jack is used. One end or corner of the object is lifted by one or two people while another person slides the leading edge of the dolly or jack under the object. The dolly or jack is raised and while one person pulls or pushes the load, the others must hold onto the object while it is being transported to prevent the load from shifting or falling off the dolly or jack.
Hand trucks and carts having wheels movable relative to the cart frame are known in the art. There are several patents which disclose various hand trucks and carts which have movably mounted wheels, none of which have a lower frame member which is horizontally movable relative to the surface of the floor.
Amos, U.S. Pat. No. 408,568 discloses a stove truck having a pair of handles with a frame rigidly attached thereto. The frame carries pivoted supporting-legs and rollers. The rollers are connected to a lever pivoted between the handles for elevating and lowering the frame.
Schroeder, U.S. Pat. No. 1,161,256 discloses a drop frame cart having a generally L-shaped weight bearing member suspended from the axle member. The weight bearing member assumes a level position when the frame is moved pivoted relative to the axle.
Brickel, U.S. Pat. No. 1,227,875 discloses a truck having wheels attached to the frame by a series of pivotal link members. The engaging lip of the truck is inserted beneath the object to be lifted and the handle portion of the truck is tilted rearwardly with the engaging lip as a fulcrum. After the truck has been tilted rearwardly to support the object in a reclining position, the entire frame may be tilted backward on the axle and supported on by the wheels.
Knudtson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,520 discloses a hand truck having a bottom and upstanding side walls. Wheels are carried in an inverted T-shaped bracket attached to the side walls. A U-shaped prop member is attached to the handle by a compression spring and controlled by a hand lever to swing into a lowered position to maintain the truck bottom in an inclined position while objects are slid from the floor onto the truck bottom.
Noland, U.S. Pat. No. 2,880,431 discloses a wheeled loading dock plate having a platform with a pair of handles pivotally mounted at the sides. Wheels are pivotally mounted on the handles such that they will collapse flat to the floor when the plate is in the proper position and the handles are lowered. The wheels may be moved into supporting position by the handles when moving the dock plate.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by a utility hand cart comprising a lower U-shaped rectangular frame and an elongated inverted U-shaped handle having its lower open ends pivotally attached to each side of the lower frame. Wheels are rotatably mounted on a bracket beneath each side of the handle and move therewith to engage the lower frame member. The handle may be raised to pivot the front end of the lower frame about the wheel axis to contact the floor surface allowing the front of the lower frame to be slid beneath the object to be lifted. Further raising of the handle causes the wheels to pivot upwardly relative to the lower frame until the lower frame is resting horizontally on the floor. When the handle is released, a spring returns the handle to the lower position and the wheel axle engages the lower frame. To lift the object, the handle is pushed down and the object is lifted and transported to another location. After transporting the object, the handle is again lifted moving the lower frame to the floor, gently placing the lifted object on the floor surface.